Memorial Day fatal car accidents and deaths
Over the ten Memorial Day weekends from 2015 to 2024, counted from Saturday to Monday of Memorial Day weekend, 3,974 people died in 3,548 fatal car accidents on US roads, 10% more than on the same days of the week around it.
Memorial Day itself, the Monday, is the worst of the three days: 20% more deaths than a normal Monday. Motorcyclist deaths rose further: 926 died, against 734 on normal weekends, 26% more.
Memorial Day, day by day, against a normal day
The Saturday had 2% more deaths than a normal Saturday, the Sunday 10% more than a normal Sunday, and the Monday holiday 20% more than a normal Monday. 39% of the deaths were in crashes with a driver at .08 blood alcohol or more, against 36% on normal days. The Fourth of July and Labor Day are counted the same way.
| Day | Deaths (total) | Fatal crashes (total) | Change on normal day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Day (the Monday) | 1,165 | 1,048 | +20.2% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
States where Memorial Day is deadlier than a normal day
In Wisconsin, Memorial Day had 50% more road deaths than the same days of the week around it, the largest rise of the 39 states with enough deaths to compare, ahead of Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 13 states it had fewer deaths than a normal day, most of all Mississippi (-19%).
- Wisconsin+50%
- Massachusetts+38%
- Connecticut+38%
- New York+37%
- Ohio+36%
- West Virginia+32%
- Minnesota+30%
- Missouri+25%
- Kansas+25%
- New Jersey+22%
- Idaho+21%
- Indiana+20%
- Florida+19%
- Nebraska+18%
- Illinois+17%
- Texas+17%
- Arkansas+14%
- Michigan+14%
- Louisiana+12%
- Kentucky+10%
- California+8%
- Oregon+8%
- Virginia+6%
- Georgia+3%
- Tennessee+2%
- Arizona+2%
- Alabama-1%
- Iowa-6%
- Nevada-6%
- Oklahoma-7%
- Pennsylvania-8%
- Washington-9%
- North Carolina-10%
- Colorado-11%
- Maryland-15%
- New Mexico-18%
- South Carolina-18%
- Utah-19%
- Mississippi-19%
A state is compared from 20 deaths on Memorial Day and as many on its normal days; the other 12 have too few. With counts this size, a change of 20% can be a handful of deaths.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Memorial Day road deaths in every state, 2015 to 2024
North Dakota has the most Memorial Day road deaths per resident: 2.21 per million residents per Memorial Day weekend, against 1.20 across the United States. Massachusetts has the fewest of the 46 states ranked. A rate is given from 10 deaths; the 5 states under that say "Not enough data".
| State | Per million residents | Deaths (total) | Fatal crashes (total) | Pedestrians (total) | Change on normal day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | 2.21 | 17 | 15 | 0 | Not enough data |
| 2 | Arkansas | 1.98 | 60 | 56 | 3 | +13.9% |
| 3 | Vermont | 1.89 | 12 | 9 | 0 | Not enough data |
| 4 | Louisiana | 1.85 | 86 | 78 | 10 | +11.7% |
| 5 | Alabama | 1.81 | 90 | 82 | 5 | -1.3% |
| 5 | Idaho | 1.81 | 33 | 26 | 2 | +20.9% |
| 7 | South Dakota | 1.80 | 16 | 11 | 1 | Not enough data |
| 8 | West Virginia | 1.78 | 32 | 31 | 2 | +31.7% |
| 9 | Mississippi | 1.72 | 51 | 49 | 3 | -19.4% |
| 10 | Missouri | 1.68 | 103 | 102 | 5 | +25.3% |
| 11 | Kansas | 1.67 | 49 | 40 | 2 | +24.7% |
| 12 | Florida | 1.63 | 353 | 312 | 69 | +19.2% |
| 12 | Tennessee | 1.63 | 112 | 101 | 10 | +2.3% |
| 12 | Kentucky | 1.63 | 73 | 64 | 8 | +9.8% |
| 15 | South Carolina | 1.61 | 83 | 77 | 11 | -18.2% |
| 16 | Delaware | 1.52 | 15 | 13 | 2 | Not enough data |
| 17 | Indiana | 1.51 | 102 | 90 | 11 | +19.7% |
| 18 | Wisconsin | 1.50 | 88 | 66 | 3 | +49.9% |
| 19 | Texas | 1.49 | 434 | 368 | 52 | +17.0% |
| 20 | Oklahoma | 1.48 | 59 | 47 | 4 | -7.1% |
| 21 | New Mexico | 1.47 | 31 | 29 | 4 | -18.0% |
| 22 | Nebraska | 1.44 | 28 | 22 | 0 | +18.1% |
| 23 | Georgia | 1.35 | 144 | 131 | 21 | +3.2% |
| 24 | Arizona | 1.32 | 95 | 83 | 13 | +1.8% |
| 25 | Montana | 1.29 | 14 | 14 | 0 | Not enough data |
| 26 | North Carolina | 1.28 | 134 | 122 | 19 | -9.9% |
| 27 | Ohio | 1.25 | 147 | 133 | 22 | +35.9% |
| 28 | Michigan | 1.20 | 120 | 110 | 8 | +13.7% |
| 29 | Hawaii | 1.12 | 16 | 16 | 3 | Not enough data |
| 30 | Oregon | 1.10 | 46 | 36 | 3 | +7.5% |
| 31 | Illinois | 1.08 | 137 | 124 | 29 | +17.1% |
| 31 | Connecticut | 1.08 | 39 | 31 | 1 | +37.8% |
| 33 | Colorado | 1.05 | 60 | 57 | 5 | -11.1% |
| 34 | Nevada | 1.04 | 32 | 29 | 3 | -6.4% |
| 35 | Virginia | 1.00 | 86 | 77 | 6 | +6.2% |
| 36 | Iowa | 0.98 | 31 | 28 | 1 | -6.1% |
| 37 | California | 0.95 | 374 | 338 | 54 | +7.7% |
| 37 | Maine | 0.95 | 13 | 11 | 0 | Not enough data |
| 39 | Minnesota | 0.87 | 49 | 45 | 5 | +29.6% |
| 40 | Pennsylvania | 0.79 | 102 | 92 | 10 | -7.9% |
| 41 | New Jersey | 0.75 | 68 | 62 | 11 | +22.1% |
| 41 | Maryland | 0.75 | 46 | 45 | 7 | -15.1% |
| 43 | Washington | 0.71 | 54 | 50 | 6 | -9.2% |
| 43 | Utah | 0.71 | 23 | 21 | 1 | -18.7% |
| 45 | New York | 0.67 | 133 | 127 | 34 | +37.1% |
| 46 | Massachusetts | 0.66 | 46 | 41 | 11 | +38.1% |
| Alaska | Not enough data | 9 | 9 | 1 | Not enough data | |
| Wyoming | Not enough data | 9 | 8 | 0 | Not enough data | |
| New Hampshire | Not enough data | 8 | 8 | 0 | Not enough data | |
| Rhode Island | Not enough data | 8 | 8 | 1 | Not enough data | |
| District of Columbia | Not enough data | 4 | 4 | 2 | Not enough data |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Download Memorial Day road deaths in every state as CSV. Free to reuse with credit: “Fatal Crash Data, fatalcrashdata.com/memorial-day-fatal-car-accidents/, from NHTSA FARS (2024 Annual Report File).”
Every Memorial Day from 2015 to 2024
The deadliest was 2022 (May 28 to 30), with 447 road deaths; the least deadly 2017 (May 27 to 29), with 352.
| Year | Dates | Deaths | Fatal crashes | Normal (average) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | May 25 to 27 | 404 | 363 | 357 | +13.2% |
| 2023 | May 27 to 29 | 426 | 378 | 398 | +7.0% |
| 2022 | May 28 to 30 | 447 | 400 | 384 | +16.3% |
| 2021 | May 29 to 31 | 413 | 356 | 407 | +1.5% |
| 2020 | May 23 to 25 | 365 | 330 | 346 | +5.5% |
| 2019 | May 25 to 27 | 394 | 352 | 329 | +19.9% |
| 2018 | May 26 to 28 | 395 | 358 | 358 | +10.5% |
| 2017 | May 27 to 29 | 352 | 314 | 347 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | May 28 to 30 | 401 | 358 | 354 | +13.2% |
| 2015 | May 23 to 25 | 377 | 339 | 339 | +11.1% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about Memorial Day fatal car accidents
- How many car accidents happen on Memorial Day?
- NHTSA's file counts only crashes in which someone died: 3,548 over the ten Memorial Day weekends from 2015 to 2024 (Saturday to Monday of Memorial Day weekend), about 355 a year, which killed 3,974 people. Crashes with injuries or damage only are not in it; those totals come from state police and transportation departments, and no national count of them exists by day. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Is Memorial Day more dangerous to drive than a normal day?
- Counted from Saturday to Monday of Memorial Day weekend, 10% more deaths than on the same days of the week in the weeks around it. Memorial Day itself, the Monday, is the worst of the three days: 20% more deaths than a normal Monday. Motorcyclist deaths rose further: 926 died, against 734 on normal weekends, 26% more.
- Are motorcycle deaths higher on Memorial Day?
- Yes. 926 motorcyclists died over the ten Memorial Day weekends from 2015 to 2024, against 734 on the same days of the week around the weekend, 26% more. All deaths together rose 10%.
- Is drunk driving worse on Memorial Day?
- 1,554 people died in crashes with a driver at .08 blood alcohol or more over the ten Memorial Day weekends from 2015 to 2024, against 1,297 on the same days of the week around the weekend, 20% more. The count is NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure, with missing tests filled in by NHTSA.
- Which state has the most road deaths per resident on Memorial Day?
- North Dakota, with 2.21 road deaths per million residents per weekend, against 1.20 across the United States. Massachusetts has the lowest of the 46 states with enough deaths to rank, at 0.66.
- Were more people killed on Memorial Day in some years than others?
- The deadliest of the ten Memorial Day weekends from 2015 to 2024 was 2022 (May 28 to 30), with 447 deaths; the least deadly 2017 (May 27 to 29), with 352.
How the Memorial Day figures are counted
Every fatal crash NHTSA dated from Saturday to Monday of Memorial Day weekend, in the years 2015 to 2024. The normal day it is set against is the same days of the week one, two and three weeks before and after, averaged for each year, so the weekday and the season match. Where one side of that would touch another holiday or run past the years the file holds, both sides are left out, so the average stays centred on Memorial Day's own weeks: 6 comparison blocks a year. Deaths within 30 days of the crash count on the day of the crash. Drunk driving deaths are NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure: a driver at .08 or more, with missing tests filled in by NHTSA. Rates per million residents use Census Bureau population estimates summed over the years. The full method.